Saxony's Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) has sharply criticized the burden placed on local authorities by decisions made at federal level. "We must (...) ensure that this business at the expense of third parties, at the expense of the German municipalities, comes to an end," he said in a government statement in the state parliament. Democracy would not be possible if the financial resources were not available at local authority level to carry out the tasks.
"Something has gone fundamentally wrong in recent years. There are two options: Either the federal government replaces the municipalities with the funds that are necessary - and we are talking about up to 30 billion euros here - or it participates in a reorganization of this welfare state (...). But maintaining the status quo is not an option."
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